Field of Art
The disclosure generally relates to the field of electronic transactions.
Description of Art
Electronic commerce (e-commerce) enables trading in entities (e.g., products or services) using computer networks, such as the Internet. Users are able to purchase entities on e-commerce websites provisioned by e-commerce retailers. Users typically use generic or shopping specific search engines to identify various entities of interest to them. Such search engines typically are inconsistent while displaying entity information and display entity information such as pricing information in different formats. Upon finding an entity of interest, a user may either purchase the entity immediately or save the entity information into a wish list for a future purchase. The wish list may be provisioned by either the retailer selling the entity or a third-party (i.e., a party other than the retailer selling the entity).
A problem with saving entity information at a third-party's wish list is an inability of the third-party to update the entity's pricing and availability information accurately in response to changes to the entity's pricing and/or availability. The problem is exacerbated when a format used for displaying pricing information varies from one website to another, or when an e-commerce web page includes multiple pricing elements within a single web page. The problem is also exacerbated when the third-party has to track entities of many different websites.
Conventional methods for determining pricing (and/or availability) information for an entity saved at a third-party's wish list typically include analyzing only the text of the entity information. An analysis of only the text of the entity information cannot distinguish between entity pricing (and/or availability) information in different formats originating at different e-commerce websites. Additionally, analysis of only the text irrespective of where the text is located on a web page would not distinguish between two entities located at two different locations on the web page (e.g., above the fold vs. below the fold). The conventional methods, in some cases, may provide incorrect pricing and availability information to users.